Chapter 53: Quickening.

The dinner was sumptuous. Throughout the meal, Smelian kept stealing glances at Luxia. He could not control his eyes; he wanted to figure out what kind of person Duke Luxia truly was.

Why was it that the people around her completely lacked that stifling, servile demeanor? Whether it was Grace or the old butler, they all seemed to radiate confidence from the inside out.

In fact, what struck Smelian the most was that at Duke Luxia’s estate, there was a total absence of oppression.

Following this bout of competition, a brief period of fluctuation ensued. The ten great elders, the master of Huaqing, and others gathered together in animated discussion, though it was unclear what they were deliberating.

As these two immense forces collided, they instantly burst apart. Divine dragons wailed, and the two towering pillars of water fractured into countless smaller streams, shrouding the entire battlefield in a misty haze.

Suliya spoke with a puzzled expression. It seemed likely to be true, especially since she had just tortured a thirty-meter-long giant fish that very morning.

While speaking, she unassumingly attempted to break free from the strange, adhesive suction, but her efforts met with no success, leaving a layer of cold sweat on Yan Mu's back.

Although it could not pierce through Atre's multi-layered defense, dealing with these shadow minions was more than within the capabilities of this giant reaper octopus.

"Don't worry, he's merely a presidential executive assistant. As long as He Yunchen and the other senior executives back you up, there's not much he can do for the time being. You just need to hold your ground and stall for a while," Yong Haojun said.

The moment Ao'ao was released by Yang Cheng, she hid behind Yujia, peeking out at Yang Cheng with a gaze full of confusion.

"Not just one, there are more," Mo Xiu said as he produced yet another lucid ganoderma, instantly leaving everyone staring in stunned silence.

"You guys—wait, Albert's plastic surgery actually involves this?" Ling Ran was utterly speechless. What a bizarrely eccentric genius doctor.

"…Do I look like that kind of person?!" Ye Yu looked at Yae Sakura with utter helplessness and chuckled wryly. Yae Sakura did not reply, maintaining a "friendly" stare fixed on Ye Yu, clearly implying that only a fool would believe him.

Feeling inexplicably wronged, Lin Fei suppressed his anger and retorted, "I'm from the Lanyu Empire!" Having numerous enemies across the Silver Sea Star Region, he suspected someone was deliberately making trouble for him and casually threw out the name of a random empire.

Mitchi watched Angel and Song Tianji chatting and laughing away, let out a silent sigh, and then resumed her own conversation.

Ye Huan looked at Canute with a gaze brimming with anticipation. After all, with Canute—a powerhouse of the tens-of-millions tier—joining the Human Alliance, it would undoubtedly constitute a vital combat force for them.

She had achieved such success precisely because of her relentless pursuit of the martial path; yet along that very path of martial arts, she had missed out on many beautiful scenery views.

Qiu Wanyun smiled brightly, extended her delicate hand to strip away the tattered mesh garment from Han Xiao, unfolded a fresh new robe, and gently helped him change.

Furthermore, Ye Xingchen believed in Murong Yun; the reason she was able to slay that ancient dragon-eagle under his containment was due to her exceptionally decisive strikes.

Without another word, he delivered two sharp thuds and shattered his own legs! Brother Chen could indeed be considered a tough man, gritting his teeth in agony and suppressing the pain without letting out a single cry.

"Ye Huan… you are the person I trust the most… but sometimes, you are truly terrifying!" Euryale leaned against Ye Huan and whispered softly.

To the surprise of Qingpao and the others, just as they were about to strike, the opponent's mid-stage Daoist Sovereign spoke up in this manner.

"Susanoo?" Zhang Yi leaped backward, retreating more than three meters away, horror flashing in his eyes.

Luo Hu clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles cracked; it was clear he could barely restrain the urge to strike.

Master Hua, however, refused to believe he had no chance, as Qianshuishui was only eighteen years old, and drawing conclusions this early was quite premature. Opportunities still remained. If he were someone who gave up so easily, he wouldn't be called Hua Rongyu. No matter how good Mu Ziyue's background was, so what? He was not inferior in the least.